Attaching means for dentures.



F G. GUNTNER.

ATTACHING MEANS FOR DENTURES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16' I918- 1,297,561. Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

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'rately tached to the tubular member, and Fig. 4 is FRANK GEORGE GUNTNER, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL G. SUPPLEE & (10., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ATTACHING MEANS FOR DENT'URES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed March 16, 1918. Serial No. 222,819.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. GUNTNER, a citizen of the United States'of America, residing at White Plains, N. Y., have invented a new and useful Attaching Means for Dentures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the mounting of removable dentures.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of simple and practical means for removably supporting dentures in position and of construction that it may be readily adjusted to compensate for wear, etc.

Another object is to provide attaching means for dentures which can be adjusted to permit of a certain rocking movement of the dentures.

The attaching means comprises a so-called base member or post and a tubular attaching member adapted for engagement thereover and said tubular attaching member is constructed with one or more segmental spring portions which may be deflected to exert the desired tension upon the post mem- [ber and which are so located as to apply this tension at the desired point.

Various other features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention embodied in several practical and commercial forms but I would have it understood that the invention may be further applied to the abutments or supporting members.

Fig. 2, is a detached perspective view showing the two cooperating members of the device, and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the outer tubular member.

Fig. 3, is a similar view showing a modification wherein the spring holding finger or tongue is provided only in one side of the tubular member, and Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of said tubular member.

Fig. 4, is an illustration of another form wherein the spring holding finger is a sepaformed element which may be ata sectional view of said tubular member.

Fig. 5, is an illustration of a form wherein the spring holding finger is provided. at one end only of the tubular member, and Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the same.

Fig. 6, is a modification of this idea wherein the spring section is formed as a longitu- Each of these attaching devices consists of a pair of complemental or interfitting elements', a base member or post 9, and an attaching member 10 of tubular construction to slidingly engage over a portion of the base member. The base member is'usually formed with a flattened base portion 11 by I which it is secured in place and an outstanding headed rail portion12 connected thereto by a narrowed or reduced neck portion 13. The hollow or tubular attaching member is open along one side thereof as indicated at 14 to receive the neck portion ofthe base member. The usual practice is to secure the post or base member to the stationary support or abutment and the tubular attaching member to the removable denture, as illustrated. j

In the first form of the invention illustrated, the tubular attaching member is shown formed with oppositely disposed spring holding segments 15 and 16 formed by cutting transverse slots 17 in said member at opposite sides of the slot therein, then pinching these members together somewhat to cause them to eXert a gripping tendency upon the post 12. These spring holding segments may be made more resilient than the balance of the tubular member by thinning them down toward their edges as indicated at 18. In this first form the spring holding segments are shown located intermediate the ends of the attaching member, substantially mid-length thereof, sothat said attaching member may have a close fitting engagement with the post intermediate the ends of the same and may fit the post relatively loosely at-the ends of the same, which will enable the denture to have a slight rocking? motion upon said intermediate holding portion as a center. This enables the teeth to rock or work in much the same way as the natural teeth do in functioning. These spring segments en; gage the base member at opposite sides of the post or rail and thus insure a firm connection between the parts, such connection readily yielding however, to permit easy removal of the denture.

The upper end of the tubular attaching member is in "this first form shown closed as by a cap or end piece 19 which by engagement with the top of the post acts as a stop to limit the sliding movement over the post, thus limiting the movement of the denture toward the gum and causing the denture to be supported by the end of the post. This cap piece furthermore braces the upper end of the tubular element and gives it a certain amount of rigidity which off-sets what weakening effect may have been caused by the separation of the spring holding tongues.

Fig. 2, illustrates how the back of the tubular attaching member may be reinforced by an anchorage element 20 secured thereto as by soldering or the like. This element, it will be seen, braces the rigid part of the tubular member without interfering with the spring clamping function of the holding segments.

In some cases, as for instance, where a lighter tension may be desirable, a spring holding finger 21 may be provided only in one side of the open tubular member. Such constructions are of particular value where the abutments are of weak nature,see Fig. 3.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 4, a separately formed spring holding finger 22 is provided, the same being shown as secured to the tubular member at 23 on one side and as working through an opening 24 cut out of the opposite side of the tubular member. This spring finger is dented in or otherwise formed to provide a transversely rounded or beveled gripping face 25 at the inside of the tubular member providing a wedging action as the member is forced into position over the post and facilitating the easy engagement of the tubular member over the end of the post.

In Fig. 5, the tubular attaching member is shown formed with a spring holding segment 26 only at one end thereof. Such constructions are of advantage where it is desirable to slip the denture in place easily and secure the holding effect only after the denture has practically reached its seat.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated how a spring holding segment 27 may be provided by slotting the end of the tubular member longitudinally as at 28, instead of transversely as heretofore described. This construction has the advantages of the end-gripping construction just previously described. These constructions it will be clear, can be used where it is desirable to allow a certain swinging or rocking movement of the denments may be adjusted to take up wear and the holding tension of such segments may be readily varied to suit different requirements, it being in some cases desirable to employ a relatively heavy tension and under other conditions a relatively light tension. In either event, the invention is of such character as to permit of very delicate adjustment.

l/Vhile I have shown in Fig. 4: the spring gripping finger 22 as permanently secured to the tubular member 10, I would have it understood that under certain circumstances it may be desirable not to fasten this spring element to the tubular member, but instead, to anchor said spring element in the denture, for instance. Also this separately formed spring holding element is of decided advantage for use in cases where the spring segments, such as those indicated at 16 in Fig. 2, may become broken, the separately formed spring element under such circumstances providing an easy means of repairing the breakage.

1. The combination with a .denture and a support therefor, of a base member secured to one of said parts and a tubular attaching member secured to the other of said parts and adapted to fit over. a part of the base member, said tubular attaching member having a spring section free from the balance of said member and yieldingly engaging the base member. 1'05 2. The combination with a denture and a support therefor, of a base member secured to one of said parts and a tubular attaching member secured to the other of said parts and slidingly engageable over the base mem- 1-10 ber, said tubular attaching member having a segmental portion separated from the balance thereof and sprung inwardly to form a spring holding tongue yieldingly engaging the base member.

3. Denture supporting means comprising a base member and a tubular attaching member engaged thereover, one of said members having a segmental portion thereof separated from the balance of the member and 120 sprung to make frictional engagement with the other member.

4. Denture supportingv means comprising,

a base member and a tubular attaching member engaged thereover, said tubular member 1* having a segmental portion thereof partially separated from the balance of the member and reduced in thickness to form a spring tongue.

5. Denture attaching, means comprising, a 1130 base member having an outstanding headed rail and a tubular attaching member open along one side to slidably engage over said headed rail, said tubular member having segmental portions at opposite sides of the opening therein, detached from the balance'of the member and sprung inwardly to form spring fingers yieldingly engaging the headed rail at opposite sides thereof.

6. Denture attaching means comprising; a base and a tubular attaching member engageable thereover, said tubular member having a relatively rigid portion and a free spring section for engagement with the post member and a reinforcement bracing the relatively rigid portion of said tubular memher.

7 Denture supporting means comprising, a base member and a tubular attaching member engageable thereover, said tubular member having a relatively rigid end section and a free spring portion adjoining the same and a cap closing said relatively rigid end section of said member.

8. Denture supporting means comprising,

a base member and a tubular member engageable thereover, said tubular member having a portion ofthe side wall thereof cut away to expose a section of the base member therewithin, and a separately formed spring gripping member partially encircling the tubular member and extending in through the opening in the side of the tubular member to yieldingly engage the base member.

9. Denture supporting means comprising, a base member and a tubular member engageable thereover, said tubular member having a portion of the side wall thereof cut away to expose a section of the base member therewithin, a separately formed spring gripping member partially encircling the tubular member and extending in through the openin in the side of the tubular member to yiel ingly engage the base member, the said inwardly extending spring holding portion of the spring arm having a convexed contact surface to cause said element to readily slide over the end of the base as the same is engaged therewith.

FRANK GEORGE GUNT-NER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

